Zack Snyder's Favorite Movies Of All Time Include A Cult '80s Fantasy Flick

Given all he's accomplished, and the creative freedom he's been afforded, it's hard to believe that Zack Snyder still has uncharted filmmaking territory. In fact, Snyder hopes to make a mythological movie one day — more specifically, something within the realm of Arthurian fantasy. The fact that 1981's "Excalibur" is one of his favorite movies might have a little something to do with that. He also mentioned "All That Jazz" when talking about his four favorites with Letterboxd in 2023, but as of yet, Snyder doesn't seem to have designs on a musical. 

Previously, Snyder had also told Newsweek in 2009 that "Excalibur" was his number one favorite film. While fantasy fans commonly rank it among the best medieval movies of all time, it hasn't left the wider cultural impact of other titles and has since become a cult hit at best. So what makes "Excalibur" so special? In raving about it to Newsweek, Snyder explained, "To this day, I think [director and co-writer] John Boorman's film is the perfect meeting of movies and mythology." 

Hollywood just can't get King Arthur right — though it's certainly not for lack of trying. The list of movies steeped in Arthurian legend one way or another is a long one, with an overwhelming amount being forgettable efforts. It's perhaps telling that the two most famous are the animated Disney classic "The Sword in the Stone" and silly parody "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." 

While 1981's "Excalibur" might not be as widely known, it certainly deserves its place among the relatively few successful King Arthur movies. It adapts the Thomas Malory epic poem "Le Morte d'Arthur" (or "The Death of Arthur"), giving it a stronger foundation than many other retellings that far too often try to otherwise modernize or give the legends a different spin. 

Though it goes through many familiar beats, "Excalibur" succeeds not by reinventing the wheel, but in its strong performances. Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson, and Gabriel Byrne are among its impressive cast. The production doesn't cut corners and rely on obvious soundstages like earlier films, but also doesn't have CGI at its disposal, resulting in a lush, shot-on-location epic. It's the kind of movie that holds up remarkably well and still leaves an impression on viewers like Zack Snyder, even 40+ years on.